


Never a boring call

by hoppstothewilde (uncagingwardens)



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:11:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6899917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncagingwardens/pseuds/hoppstothewilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They thought the night howler drug was gone from their streets. They thought wrong, and Nick gets the wrong end of the stick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never a boring call

Why would this have been anything but a simple day on patrol? It started that way, a simple robbery call at Jumbeaux's (which made Nick look awfully sheepish).

Once they had arrived, however, they were face-to-face with a gemsbok on a rampage with a loaded airsoft pistol. The same type used to fire night howler pellets. The police department had thought they had gotten every gun able to fire these pellets (in addition to making the manufacturing of said weaponry illegal), but apparently it had not been enough.

“Whoa, sir, let’s not do anything—,“ Officer Hopps reasoned, one paw on her gun holster (loaded with tranquilizers, of course) while the other was outstretched for the gun currently being waved around madly by the distressed ungulate. “Let’s just—let’s just talk about this! There’s no need to do anything rash!”

“Don’t either of you move!” the bull bellowed, pointing the barrel first at Judy’s head, then Nick’s chest as the fox merely shifted slightly, ears pinned back to his head. “Not an inch, fox! This thing—It’s loaded!”

“Easy, buddy,” Nick crooned carefully, taking measured steps towards Judy, a hand inching slowly to his own holster, “We’re not gonna hurt you, just put the gun down, and it’ll all be okay, okay?”

 

They should have known better than to expect a simple robbery call.

 

It happened all too fast: the shot of a gun, the blue spray of a night howler pellet exploding on ruby red fur, Nick’s service weapon flying from its holster, and a tranq dart with a fluorescent pink marker on the end embedding itself in the angry bull’s neck.

The bull dropped the gun within moments, and Judy kicked it far away before rushing to Nick, who had sprawled to the linoleum tiles. His chest was already heaving, pupils dilating as she cradled his head in her lap, panicked paws on his face.

“Judy, hey, listen to me,” He panted, voice a tremor, tone a mix between normal and a deep, rumbling growl of a wild predator. The rabbit was on her radio, calling for backup. He grabbed her paw in his, drawing her attention back to him, “You have to tranquilize me—“

“What, Nick, no!” She said, voice high and thin with fear as her heart raced in her chest, “You’re going to be fine, Bogo is sending help—“

“Hopps,” he growled, green eyes now just a slight ring around onyx, “Do it.”

She pulled the weapon from its holster, finger brushing the trigger before casting one more tormented look at her partner. She lifted it, firing the dart into the side of his neck with a pained noise coming from both her and the fox. Nick let out a snarl, shoving Judy away across the floor as he pawed at the green marker on his dart. He was fully under the spell of the concoction, moving onto all fours and stalking towards Judy with a predator’s eyes locked on her neck.

Thankfully, it did not take more than a few heartbeats for the dual tranquilizer to take effect, leaving both Nick and their gunman relaxed and asleep on the floor of the shop.

It left Judy shaking, however, as she rubbed her neck subconsciously. She still felt that sharp, prickling gaze on her fur, the hot flash of fear in her stomach. Soon enough, police cars surrounded the shop and ZPD officers dashed in.

Nick was taken to the hospital, and the gemsbok was taken to the station. Judy rode in the ambulance with Nick, holding his paw though hers were still shaking like fall leaves in the wind. She pressed her forehead against his knuckles, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She was fine, she was not hurt. Nick was fine, he was uninjured and the night howler effect would be easily reversed.

She was still shaken up, though.

It didn’t take long for Nick to be admitted to a semi-private room, the antidote to the toxin running in his IV while most of the ZPD waited around his bed for him to wake up. Judy was there, of course, sitting on the railing of Nick’s bed.

The fox stirred with a groggy groan, forest green eyes opening slowly with a tired grin on his muzzle, “Talk about a wake-up call.”

A collective laugh rolled through the squad, and he received plenty of jabs about getting back to work and whatnot. Once everyone had trickled out of the room, it was eerily quiet save for the ever-present buzzing of the fluorescent overhead lights.

“Judy, hey,” Nick said finally, turning and smiling at his partner, “I told you everything was gonna be fine, didn’t I?”

“Yes, well, how dare you scare me like that?” She said with an exasperated expression, clutching her heart, “You’re going to give me a heart attack one day!” She was kidding, of course, sliding off of the rail to sit cross-legged beside Nick.

He lifted her paw into his, giving it a squeeze, “I’m sorry, Carrots, from the bottom of my heart.”

“You better be, Wilde. I still love you, but watch yourself.”

“Ouch! That hurt more than the knockout dart.”

Judy gave a little laugh, pressing a gentle kiss to Nick's cheek before curling up at his side.

All was well, for today at least.


End file.
